Us Weekly wonders 'Who Breastfeeds Longest?'

Last week, we were asked to contribute to a piece Us Weekly was putting together about celebrities and breastfeeding, inspired by Gwen Stefani telling Elle that she is continuing to nurse Kingston, almost 8 months.

There is a small correction to be made – Jada Pinkett Smith actually nursed Jaden for 18 months, not 24, but the issue had gone to press before the article could be edited. Also, the AAP recommends breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months (that is, no formula or solids) and at least until 1 year. You can click this scan to make it larger and more readable.

I have two sons: the first I breastfed for 5 months exclusively and then continued to nurse as a supplement until he was 15 mos old. The second I breastfed exclusively for 5 mos but am still nursing as a supplement and he’s 19 mos old now. I’m not sure when I’m going to stop. Probably by his second birthday. I’ve worked full time since before my second son was born, and I think I’ve stuck with nursing longer to compensate for the lesser amount of time that I get to spend with him during the day. And thank goodness I’ve stuck with it – he’s had two nasty stomach bugs in the last year, and both times, the only food or drink that he was able to keep down was breastmilk – I really believe that was the only way he stayed properly hydrated.

SM
on January 21st, 2007

I nursed my first for 20 months and my second for 25 months. Glad to see celebrities championing the normal way to feed a baby. :)

Kristin
on January 21st, 2007

18 months and still going strong!

augustmoon6075
on January 21st, 2007

15 months for my first and 8 months and counting with my second. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done!!!

rachel
on January 21st, 2007

My daughter is 2 and still nursing. And I’m pregnant again. :)

Trish
on January 21st, 2007

I’m “still” nursing my 28 month old.

Libby
on January 21st, 2007

Hooray for bfing! DS is a 26 month old nursling, and I’m expecting my second this summer.

meribeth
on January 21st, 2007

I have two boys–the first I nursed until almost 3.5 years, and the second I am still nursing at nine months.

Angie
on January 21st, 2007

i knew someone who breastfed her 4 yr. old daughter. They would be shopping in a store and the little girl would ask for “booby”. This same woman also breastfed one of her sons until he was 7 yrs. old. It’s quite disturbing to think about that. I am happy to say that i no longer friends with her. I know that when I have children, i will breastfeed until they get teeth. I don’t want to continue breastfeeding to an age where the kid could remember it. That’s traumatic for some!

Allison
on January 21st, 2007

I nursed my son for 14 months and I stopped because I was pregnant and it caused my milk to dry up. I am currently nursing my 1 month old daughter and I hope to make it that long again if not longer with her.

Breastmilk will always be best for babies… as well as for mommies. It’s one hell of a way to shed pounds of that post-natal fat. I have a cousin who lost more than 20 pounds in less than 3 weeks of breastfeeding.

Jean
on January 21st, 2007

The first sadly weaned at 25 months, I still that it was too young! The second is 9 months and going strong.

Jayden's Mommie
on January 21st, 2007

I breastfed my son until he was 2 years old. Surprisingly, I got a lot of external pressure from family and strangers alike to stop. I am currently expecting my second child at the end of August and hope to breastfeed just as long! =)

I breastfed my daughter until her first birthday. I was ready, she was ready. She’s and a half, and i still miss it sometimes.

Susan
on January 21st, 2007

My son fully weaned himself at age 4.

Tracee Z.
on January 21st, 2007

I still nurse my son (with implants & throughout my second pregnancy), he’s 23 mos old. I also have a 5 mo. old son who I nurse…(sometimes tandem w/ our 23 mo. old)

amelie
on January 21st, 2007

The first one got sick at 5 months and weaned due to the trauma of the situation. I was aiming for 2 years, and had counselling to cope with the depression of not being able to breastfeed him. The second self weaned at 4 years old.

Cordelia's mommy
on January 21st, 2007

My daughter is still very fond of nursing at age 3 and a half. We are fully crunchy attachment parents though. She sleeps with us too. I am a proud member of La Leche League, and I am thinking about becoming a leader, or going thru all the classes and becoming a lactation consultant. Breastfeeding and being a mom changed my life and my perspective and my priorities. Oh, and for those not sure about extended breastfeeding, it’s like prozac for a toddler/preschooler. Sometimes it’s the only thing that will calm her down. And, she’s so busy, it allows us to reconnect and decompress.

My daughter weaned when she was four. Originally I had planned to nurse her for around two years (WHO recommends at least 2 years) and then have her wean when I got pregnant again. The pregnancy never happened so I just followed her cues. Once she turned three with no signs of wanting to wean I started cutting back on her feeds.

Shay
on January 21st, 2007

I’m currently nursing my 27 month old and exclusively nursing my 7 week old. And going through the process of becoming a milk donor :-)

I like how poster Trish put “still” in quotes — it reminds us how normal extended breastfeeding is. Similarly, I really don’t think Gwen Stefani needs to qualify nursing a child under a year old as “still nursing” — it’s simply “nursing.” (But despite semantics, good for her!)

And I’m nursing my 16-month-old as I type.

AKA's mommy
on January 21st, 2007

I nursed my dd for 42 months, and am still nursing my twins who are 21 months!

Kelly
on January 22nd, 2007

29 month old Sarah still loves her boobie! :D

Bel
on January 22nd, 2007

#1 nursed for three years, which included 1 year of tandem nursing with #2.
#2 is currently 2 years old and still going strong, and he is tandem nursing with #3, who is three months old.
Altogether I’ve been breastfeeding for about 4 years straight and through two pregnancies.

Kate
on January 22nd, 2007

Wow! We have some long breastfeeders on here. I just stopped bf’ing my 2nd daughter and she is 8.5 months. I was just ready to be done and she doesn’t seem to mind.

you forgot to include Victoria Beckham in the list, I don’t know about Romeo or Cruz, but she mentioned in her book that she breastfed Brooklyn for five weeks until he was diagnosed with carbohydrate malabsorption. There’s also a paparazzi picture of her doing so.

I work full time and am a full-time Mom :). My first son self-weaned at 19 months. My second (with a little encouragement) at 30 months.

melanie
on January 22nd, 2007

I breast fed my first for 2 years. My supply started dwindling at about that time and he lost interest. My youngest was the shortest at about 8 months. It was very difficult to keep up with 3 kids under 4. I had to have some help by way of the bottle (and my husband). I’m not sure how people do it for so long when they have other older children, too. It was so tough for me.

michelleanne
on January 22nd, 2007

LOL I haven’t had a kid but live with my sister who has had two been with her since she was pregnant with #1 .She b? feed them both till 6 months then they just couldn’t get enough so we put in rice cereal.
Her in BC canada our regogmendations are no solids till at least 6 months cause the babies intestines are not fully developed enought to digest solids.I say soon as they cut teeth it over..LOL

mom2tbet
on January 22nd, 2007

#1 nursed until he was 22mos, when i got pregnant with #2 and had to stop due to history of preterm labor. # 2 nursed for 4 mos, when he got diagnosed with GERD and had to be on a special diet. #3 nursed until he was 22mos when i got pregnant with #4. #4 was
a preemie, so i exclusively pumped for 2mos until she came home. She went on to nurse for an add’l 4 mos when i had supply problems.

mysti
on January 22nd, 2007

my two and a half year old hasn’t been breastfed for over a year and I think its good that way, because you don’t want a baby using a pacifier forever, so why would you breastfeed? I think its wrong and disgraceful and most mothers use it only to they’re advantage not for the babies. Yeah, breastmilk is good for a baby, but lets just remember your two year old isn’t a baby anymore, they’re a toddler, the doctors tell you to put your baby on solids after 1 year, its for a reason, they get more out of food than you’re milk, you may be they’re mother but you don’t know everything, and this is coming from a mother! how about you let your kid grow up and stop obessesing!

Kellie
on January 22nd, 2007

My son self weaned himself just last month ( Dec 06) at the age of 3.5 years.

ORMum
on January 22nd, 2007

I breastfed exclusively for 6 months and had to give up as we discovered that my son stopped gaining weight – I was producing plenty of milk but it had changed from “whole” to “skimmed”. Has anyone else experienced this with their first child and went on to successfully feed another child? I was really disappointed as I had hoped to nurse for at least a year.

Marie
on January 22nd, 2007

My son is 6 months old and I love nursing him. When I was working (40 hour weeks) I had to pump. It was really trying at times when I’d get frustrated at having to lug around the pump everywhere I went if he wasn’t with me. I thought about stopping, but it’d be for selfish reasons entirely and that’s not fair to my little man. I’ll nurse him another 6 months and see where we are at a year old. If he wants to keep going, we’ll keep going :) I don’t want to put a time limit or “goal” to hit. I just want to let him nurse as he wants. Besides, I don’t want to give up the snuggle time I get when he’s nursing. Otherwise this wiggly boy just wants to GO!

Have to note that the magazine got it wrong. The mag said the AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for 1 year, when they actually recommend 6 months for exclusive, and nurse for 1 year after introducing solids.

Saara
on January 22nd, 2007

My first kiddo self-weaned 2 weeks after his 2nd birthday (I was 5 months pregnant). The second one would still nurse, if I’d let him…. His 6th birthday was the last time he nursed.

millie
on January 22nd, 2007

My son weaned himself at 17 months, never had formula in his life. I pumped for 3 months for my daughter who was extremely premature (born without the sucking reflex) but she was too weak to nurse for a long time so I eventually dried up and she switched to formula.. however, her doctors always credited her great gastro-intenstinal health (at less than 2 lbs) with breast milk.

Marie
on January 22nd, 2007

I weaned my son at 30 months as I was chosen for a special camp that I could *not* turn down. I still feel very guilty because he wasn’t ready and I thought it would be easier on me since I was going back to university full-time. He’s turning 3 years old on Wednesday and still latches on in his sleep once in a blue moon. I’m letting my future children wean on their own.

Still nursing my guy — he will be 3 next month and no signs of slowing down yet.

a.j.
on January 22nd, 2007

I nursed my daughter for only her first 8 weeks of life and have no guilt about it :) It just wasn’t for me.

Maximum Big Surprise
on January 22nd, 2007

I’m with a.j. – I didn’t breastfeed for long: 6 weeks with my first and straight to formula with my second.

ozmum
on January 22nd, 2007

ORmum…whoever told you that your milk was skim should be kicked up the bum. YOu see all breastmilk starts off as skim, and as the feed progresses the fat content goes up so the last of the milk is very high in fat. note this is the good stuff that makes your baby chubby. I’ve often told mothers to go with their baby. and it is okay to let your baby fall asleep while nursing…studies have shown that milk actually promotes good sleep. btw I’ve fed for 14months, and 2 years and still going.

TinyT
on January 23rd, 2007

My male GP told me to stop nursing my 23.5 mth old son not because it was medically bad (he said that that was ok) but that it was psychologically bad. He also said that nursing didn’t prevent pregnancy (as if I didn’t already know that!) My reaction was that both comments were very stupid things to say to me, and I won’t be going back to that doctor again. My OB/GYN was very surprised that I was still nursing and managed to get pregnant again, however she never told me to stop. Just saying that I will continue to nurse until my son self weans or I dry up.

Brandi Harris
on January 23rd, 2007

I enjoyed every minute nursing. I nursed all 3 of my little angels. My first was short 8 months and then I found out I was pregnant again and my then I nursed her for 16months. My third 2 years. I enjoyed the closeness I had with ever little one! I miss it!!!

Banana
on January 23rd, 2007

I nursed my daughter for 19 months, and looking back now that she’s 4 and a half, I wish I had nursed longer…I miss it A LOT! She still seeks comfort snuggled near her mommy’s “boobies”…she remembers nursing, and talks about it all the time.

I breastfed the first for 3 years 1 month. The second weaned while I was pregnant. He was 2 years 8 months. I am still nursing my 3rd at 4 months of age.

Shmoo
on January 25th, 2007

My son started the self weaning process after he turned three in May of that year, and I was ready too. He nursed a bit at night into September. He had surgery in December and wanted to nurse through the following night, which I allowed, and my milk came in like I had just given birth. I even got engorged! He hasn’t nursed since. Breastfeeding was one of the most emotionally powerfull experiences of my life. I didn’t imagine when I started that I would nurse him that long, but I educated myself over time, and came to understnd both our needs. I will do it the same way again.

claudine
on January 29th, 2007

I nursed my 5 month old only one month and a half. I got ill with Mastitis from hell that freaked me out. I miss that small moment, I do plan to bf if i get pregnant again. So far my baby is healthy and chubby and no illnesses thank god and knock on wood.

tara
on February 9th, 2007

What is wrong with you people? Still nursing your kids at 2+ years old. Babies get all the nutrients they need from breastfeeding in those first few months. After your kids get teeth and can start telling you they are hungry, then it just passes over to creepy. Disgusting.

Jennifer
on March 16th, 2008

Julian is 28months and shown no signs of weaning. He loves his boo boo night night.

Amber
on February 6th, 2010

My first is 16 months and nursing strong! It is our special time. She is now learning that she sometimes has to wait if we are driving or somewhere that we can’t do it like in line at the grocery store. She eats very healthy and is a good little eater, but she loves her Mee Mees as she named them. She never had formula, but now if she goes to Nana’s house she will have her cup of organic milk. I have no plans of making her wean any time soon. I would definitely nurse again if I have another baby in the future.